The Real, Authentic Trails End Bread Pudding Recipe

[bama_ed]

When two seemingly separate topics inexplicably collide in the cosmos, it's obvious the hand of God was involved. On the one hand on the "Chit Chat" thread on the DIS Camping Community Forum, I recently came across a reference to the Trails End buffet Bread Pudding which some people treat as a side dish or a dessert - I treated it as a Main Course.

I can't find the Trail''s End bread pudding recipe at the moment..

See post #3,808

On the other hand, at the same time unbeknownst to me (I don't check the chit chat thread too often), I was working up the TE Bread Pudding Recipe into a simple PDF file because I plan to fix it for one of my tailgates this fall during Alabama football. That way it's easy to print off.

The origin of the TE Bread Pudding recipe came in a request from our poster @SamRoc in January 2017:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/bread-pudding-recipe-from-trails-end.3569968/

As luck would have it, I happened to be AT the Fort at that VERY SAME time. Leading with my stomach, of course, I went to investigate (see thread above) with the TE Kitchen Manager who was very generous with their cook book.

I came home and worked the recipe down to a family sized amount and tried it - it was delicious!

https://www.disboards.com/threads/tonight-i-made-bread-pudding-with-the-trails-end-recipe.3631536/

The two hands had come together so here is a PDF of the honest-to-God Trails End Bread Pudding recipe. Since it was reduced from an industrial recipe, there may be some tweeks needed to get the taste just right. But at least this has real PROVENANCE.

Bama Ed

PS - I long for the day it will be available at Trails End again.

 

[mickeyfan0805]

When two seemingly separate topics inexplicably collide in the cosmos, it's obvious the hand of God was involved. On the one hand on the "Chit Chat" thread on the DIS Camping Community Forum, I recently came across a reference to the Trails End buffet Bread Pudding which some people treat as a side dish or a dessert - I treated it as a Main Course.



See post #3,808

On the other hand, at the same time unbeknownst to me (I don't check the chit chat thread too often), I was working up the TE Bread Pudding Recipe into a simple PDF file because I plan to fix it for one of my tailgates this fall during Alabama football. That way it's easy to print off.

The origin of the TE Bread Pudding recipe came in a request from our poster @SamRoc in January 2017:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/bread-pudding-recipe-from-trails-end.3569968/

As luck would have it, I happened to be AT the Fort at that VERY SAME time. Leading with my stomach, of course, I went to investigate (see thread above) with the TE Kitchen Manager who was very generous with their cook book.

I came home and worked the recipe down to a family sized amount and tried it - it was delicious!

https://www.disboards.com/threads/tonight-i-made-bread-pudding-with-the-trails-end-recipe.3631536/

The two hands had come together so here is a PDF of the honest-to-God Trails End Bread Pudding recipe. Since it was reduced from an industrial recipe, there may be some tweeks needed to get the taste just right. But at least this has real PROVENANCE.

Bama Ed

PS - I long for the day it will be available at Trails End again.

Thanks Ed - I SO want to try this. Have you found a particular bread you prefer? Something fairly dense, I assume, but anything particular?

 

[bama_ed]

mickeyfan0805,

I think both times I have made it thus far I used a thick style of sliced bread referred to as "Texas Toast" in my neck of the woods.

I noted above that in the original industrial sized recipe, it referred to assorted pastries. IIRC from my time in New Orleans, bread pudding was a dish that used up any bread type product (sweetened like cinnamon roles or just regular bread) that was nearing the end of its "shelf life" or getting stale.

So you could legitimately include just about anything. The TE kitchen would have had some cinnamon rolls or something from the breakfast buffet maybe but Texas Toast turned out fine for me.

Ed

 

[mickeyfan0805]

Thanks Ed. Day-old cinnamon rolls sound like quite the way to go at this!

 

[bama_ed]

And if you look at the photo of the original industrial recipe, I'm not sure what step #7 refers to with "white icing". I wish we had a picture of it on the hot table of the old buffet.

 

[Stratman50th]

And if you look at the photo of the original industrial recipe, I'm not sure what step #7 refers to with "white icing". I wish we had a picture of it on the hot table of the old buffet.

I'll ask my daughter, she's kind of a cake boss and can probably tell me how to make the icing.

 

[StormyCA]

Thanks for this, Ed. I'm gluten free, but there are some pretty tasty GF pastries out there that would probably work really well!!!

I think the 'white icing' would refer to white icing 'drizzle' usually powdered sugar and milk or cream beaten to the consistency of your desire/needs.

(Hey Ed! This is Stormy's DIET speaking!!! I am not a happy camper. This sounds too good for her to resist!)

 

[Hisgirl]

Make sure you tear up your rolls or bread or brioche (my favorite) and allow it to sit out in the room air to dry out for a few hours. It keeps it from turning to mush when it absorbs the liquid.

Also, if you want you can reduce the sugar.

I make bread pudding all the time, and with variation. (raisens soaked in bourbon) and add bourbon to the sauce and leave out the karo syrup and temper in an egg yolk.

Bread pudding is just one of the very best dessert ever!

 

[Frantasmic]

Thanks! Made this over the weekend. It was quite tasty. The sauce was really good.

 

[bama_ed]

Thanks! Made this over the weekend. It was quite tasty. The sauce was really good.

Glad you liked it, @Frantasmic. Regarding the sauce, I was surprised how much butter was in it. No wonder the sauce is good (especially when still warm).

Ed

 

[bama_ed]

I hear ya, Don.

I have made it a few times and the first time was like you said.

If I were to hazard a guess, if you look at the Disney bulk recipe, it cooks for 30 minutes in a 350 CONVECTION oven on high fan.

My "translation" (I don't use a convection oven) was to 375 for 35 minutes using internet resources. I'm not sure this was a true, straight-line conversion. The other times I shorted the bake time a few minutes and it turned out more moist. There was also a diversity of opinion about how convection settings convert to conventional settings.

Back when I downsized the recipe, I was clear that the bread part was 1/16th (one-sixteenth) of the bulk recipe. But some things are tough to translate. The bulk recipe calls for 96 ounces of eggs. I don't buy my eggs by the ounce but by the piece. I can divide by 16, sure, but it's just an estimate.

The bulk recipe also calls for "16 pounds of assorted pastries". Cinnamon rolls are more dense than sliced white bread. This is the history of bread pudding in that the cooks of the day took whatever bread-like products were getting old and stale and chopped them up in the dish (no waste). More porous filling like sliced white bread absorbs more liquid than dense cinnamon rolls.

I might take another crack at the time/temp angle when I make the next batch. But I have a lemon cheesecake recipe with a lemon curd topping that's next on the bake list this week.

If anyone wants to offer an alternative time/temp/mix, I put the original recipe out there for that reason-someone can double check my work. Won't hurt my feelings if I got it wrong. Ultimately, I want all of us to get it right.

ED

 

[Stratman50th]

So the recipe specifically says a regular oven! I thought that might be where I messed up. I have a convection oven. It had been running for awhile at 350. I turned off convection and went to regular, but turned up the temp to 375. I thought the fan might still be running and dried it out some. Am I remembering correctly that it was a little soupy at TE?
Anyway, excellent flavor. In fact I'm eating some now!

Actually it kind of reminds me of the texture of a Claxton fruit cake.

 

[bama_ed]

I'm not as sophisticated as you, Don. In the kitchen I'm an old guy yelling at the clouds.

There is no convection oven in my home. Although the original bulk FW recipe called for a convection oven, I tried to convert time/temp to a conventional oven which I put in the scaled down recipe.

I loathe the microwave on my kitchen counter (only use it to heat leftover dinner plates).

My dad (83yo) swears by an air fryer and tried to give me his old one but I haven't gone for it yet.

Guests in our home need to travel with a coffee pot since DW and I don't drink coffee and don't pretend to know why burning beans and pouring hot water over them is a thing.

However, I do have (and love) my crock pot as you know.

My solution to the above is to pour on more of the Praline Sauce. (You may have noticed I only cut that recipe to 1/8th which is twice that of the bread recipe). When it's warm it's OH SO good.

See you soon.

Ed

PS - I would say the Bread Pudding at TE was 'moist'.

 

[Teamubr]

Am I remembering correctly that it was a little soupy at TE?

PS - I would say the Bread Pudding at TE was 'moist'.

I remember it being between moist and wet, I wouldn't call it soupy. Although the internet thinks it should be more like Ed's "moist".




j